First Rule of Deduction
by chocolate chip wookiee
Summary: James hadn't had any doubt John and Helen would get along.He had assumed they would be friends for precisely the same reasons he'd grown fond of each of them. He should have known better.James/John friendship,John/Helen with implied one-sided James/Helen.


_**A/N:** When I originally wrote this, I had a great and funny A/N planned, but then i forgot all about the fic and the A/N as well. Now I discovered it again and decided to share it (without the note). I love the John/Helen pairing and John/James and James/helen friendships, but think that there's more to them than we're led to believe. This is my take... It may or may not become part of a series, we'll see how the Muse feels about continuing ;-)_

_Special thanks to _**Aerilon452**_ for being a great support! :-) _

_Without further ado... proceed :)_

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><p><strong><span>First Rule of Deduction<span>**

James Watson was hardly ever taken by surprise. He prided himself on his extraordinary powers of observation and remarkable deductive skills which left very few mysteries of this world unsolved. And yet, as he stood in the courtyard of Oxford's St Edmund Hall, squinting against the bright summer sun, and observed two of his dearest friends whom he had only introduced moments before, he could not help but be, it was somewhat humiliating to admit it, surprised.

Oh, he hadn't had any doubt John and Helen would get along marvelously. He had been certain Helen would appreciate John's razor sharp wit, and that John in turn would find her thirst for knowledge and fascination with the unknown every bit as exhilarating as James did. He had assumed they would enjoy each other's company for precisely the same reasons James himself had grown so fond of each them. Yes, he had assumed. And that had been his gravest error. James felt a brief pang of bitterness in his chest. He should have known better.

He had long since learned never to take anything for granted where Montague John Druitt was concerned. Ever since their days at Winchester College, John had been a bit of an enigma, but James believed that was one of the reasons why he took such pleasure in his companionship. They would spend hours together in the gardens or the Fellows' Library, immersed in conversation, at first about sports and books they both enjoyed, and as they grew older, their discussions became friendly disputes over the subtleties of philosophy and logic. Despite their closeness, however, there had always been a side of John that eluded James, something his friend kept carefully hidden from the world behind the mask of his perfect manners, his charm, for John was quite the ladies' man, and remarkable sharpness of mind, one which could only be rivaled by James' own.

As for Helen, since the very first moment he had seen her in one of the university's many libraries, James had never doubted she was the most unusual woman he had ever known. He remembered it as if it had been only yesterday. She was standing in the dark paneled room, delicate in her modest velvet dress, studying the titles of the thick leather bound volumes in the bookcase in front of her, and the last rays of the late-October afternoon sun glistened in her golden hair. Since that first encounter, Helen never ceased to amaze James, whether it was with her beauty, her clarity of thought or her unyielding love of learning. In spite of having known her for a mere few months, she had become every bit as important a part of his life as John was.

It seemed only natural that he should introduce them. He had told John about Helen, her research and her daring theories, just as Helen had heard numerous stories about his and John's adventures, their many travels and their shared passion for the mysterious. But there had never seemed to be the right time. Something would always get in the way, were it a lecture, some meaningless social event either of them was required to attend by the grace of their status, or something completely different. And then, as luck would have it, on this fine May morning, James was taking Helen to see an experiment one of his colleagues was conducting, and they chanced upon John.

_The moment John laid his eyes upon __Helen across the courtyard, James could see that she had captured his interest. As they walked towards him, James saw that John straightened himself almost imperceptibly, thus giving his remarkable physique an even more impressive appearance, and the corners of his mouth curled upwards the tiniest bit into what James had come to know as John's dazzling smile. He felt a wave of resentment wash over him. He was certain Helen would not appreciate being thought of as a woman who could be made weak in the knees by the charms of one John Druitt. He glanced sideways at her. _

_S__he was walking calmly and her face didn't betray anything but the polite curiosity which became a lady, but her eyes were focused solely on John and James noticed that her delicate lace-gloved finger was tracing absent circles on the handle of the parasol she was holding._

_Since they were walking with the sun in their backs, John was at a disadvantage, for they could see him but he, even with his remarkable eyesight, could not make out much more than their silhouettes. However, as they neared him, James could tell the very second John had finally seen their faces, for something utterly unexpected happened. Suddenly, John's posture changed again, became less imposing, and the cockiness at his own irresistibility faded into a genuine smile of pleasure. James did not need to look at Helen to know that she reciprocated that smile with an easy grace that was uniquely hers._

James broke out of his reverie only to see that John and Helen were still engaged in a polite conversation about a lecture they had both been planning to attend. James took in the expression in Helen's eyes as she was listening intently to John's every word; it was far more than simple politeness or even the avid interest with which she would listen to fellow scientists. He felt a twinge of jealousy, but it only took one look at John for it to dissipate. James witnessed as John Druitt, his oldest friend, the man who claimed he would rather die a lonely old fellow than lose himself in a woman, spoke to Helen with an almost reverent respect in his voice that James had never heard there before. Their conversation was perfectly innocent, not a single word or gesture bore the barest suggestion of impropriety, and still James felt like an eavesdropping intruder.

With the benefit of hindsight, James considered ruefully, he knew he should have seen the signs that he now realized had been right under his nose, all the minute details that should not have escaped his eye.

Reverting back to logic for comfort, James asked himself the key question. Why? Why had he been so blind? Or had he perhaps committed a more gruesome crime against deductive reasoning having ignored the signs deliberately? Had it been his friendship with John? Had he been too close to the problem? Or, worse even, had it been his feelings for Helen that had caused him to disregard the evidence?

James did not need another sharp pang in his chest to alert him that he had arrived at the root of the problem. He had been a fool, having convinced himself that Helen could see him as anything but a friend, a dear and close friend, but a friend nonetheless. He looked quickly from John to Helen once more and made a silent vow to never again allow his emotions to interfere with his reasoning.

James sighed.

Helen winced slightly and a mild blush crept up her cheeks as she smiled sheepishly at him. "Oh, I am sorry, James. How rude of us to ignore you like that," she said with genuine remorse.

"It is quite alright, Helen, I have been lost in thought myself," James admitted. "Perhaps John would like to attend Doctor Whitelock's experiment with us?" he turned to his friend.

John looked at his elegantly engraved pocket watch and frowned. "I should very much like to, old friend, but I am afraid I have other engagements. I am, in fact, quite late," he smiled.

"I apologize to have kept you so long, Mr. Druitt," Helen said sincerely.

"No need to apologize, Doctor," John answered. "An enjoyable conversation is a rare pleasure these days," he cast a brief smile at James and then turned back to her. "It has been a pleasure, Doctor Magnus, I hope we shall meet again," he said.

"As do I, Mr. Druitt," she smiled, extending her hand for him to shake. "And please, do call me Helen," she added, and only James noticed the way her voice trembled infinitesimally as she said so. He had never known Helen to be this forward.

John smiled and locked her eyes. "Helen," he bowed lightly. "James," he turned to James with a nod, which James briskly returned, and rushed off.

James peered at Helen. A light blush colored her cheeks and despite the bright sunlight, her pupils were slightly dilated as she was gazing in the direction of John's retreating form. As if sensing James' scrutiny, she turned on her heel to face him, tapped his forearm and said: "Come on, James, we must not be late."

James nodded politely and led her into the ancient building. He did not wish to be late for the experiment, he believed it should prove rather interesting. However, as the first rule of deduction states: Never make any assumptions.


End file.
